NY State Senate Bill 2025-S7870

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Cities 1 Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 12, 2025	referred to cities 1

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8452
Current Committee:: Senate Cities 1
Law Section:: New York City

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the commissioner of the New York city parks and recreation development to establish an application process for sole-source concession agreements; provides for enforcement of such agreements.

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7870

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to require the commissioner of the parks and recreation depart-
ment in New York city to create a formal publicly-available application
process for sole-source concession agreements

 
PURPOSE:

To bring greater transparency, accessibility, and accountability to the
process by which the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation enters into
sole-source concession agreements with not-for-profit organizations.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Requires the commissioner of the NYC Department of Parks and
Recreation to establish a formal and publicly available application
process for sole-source concession agreements within six months of
enactment. It sets deadlines for city responses, outlines a three-year
negotiation timeline, and permits independent arbitration if the city

fails to act in a timely manner.

Section 2. Outlines enforcement mechanisms. If the city fails to respond
to an application within 180 days or does not complete negotiations
within three years, independent arbitration is authorized to generate a
binding agreement.

Section 3. Requires that any awarded concessionaire maintain insurance
and indemnify the city.

Section 4: Effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Currently, the process for initiating sole-source concession agreements
with the NYC Parks Department lacks transparency and consistency, often
disadvantaging community-based not-for-profit organizations that offer
valuable public programming. These organizations, which provide
cultural, environmental, educational, and recreational services, deserve
a clear and equitable pathway to partner with the city.

This legislation will streamline the process, provide consistent bench-
marks, and protect applicants from unnecessary delays or arbitrary
denials. The inclusion of an independent arbitration mechanism ensures
fairness and timeliness, while still preserving the city's oversight and
approval authority via the Franchise and Concession Review Committee.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7870
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 12, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities 1
 
 AN ACT to require the commissioner of the parks and  recreation  depart-
   ment  in  New York city to create a formal publicly-available applica-
   tion process for sole-source concession agreements

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Sole-source concession agreements. 1. (a) Within six months
 of  the effective date of this act, the commissioner of parks and recre-
 ation in the city of New York shall establish a formal  publicly-availa-
 ble  application process for sole-source concession agreements and shall
 receive inquiries to initiate such sole-source concession negotiations.
   (b) Within 120 days of an application, the city shall respond  to  any
 application to detail the parameters of a negotiation or deny the appli-
 cation with cause that may be appealed.
   (c) In the initial application response to detail six-month benchmarks
 along  the  three-year timeline for various components of the concession
 agreement to be negotiated.
   (d) Within three years of the date that a response was provided  to  a
 not-for-profit  organization,  the  city  shall complete any sole-source
 concession negotiations.
   2. Enforcement. (a) If the city fails to  respond  to  an  application
 within  180  days,  independent  arbitration is authorized to generate a
 sole-source concession agreement  within  six  months.  The  city  shall
 adhere to the determination of the arbitrator.
   (b)  If  the city fails to generate a sole-source concession agreement
 within the three-year timeline established pursuant to paragraph (d)  of
 subdivision  one  of  this act, independent arbitration is authorized to
 generate a sole-source concession agreement within six months post-dead-
 line.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11963-01-5
 S. 7870                             2

 
   (c) The city parks, revenue and  community  outreach  and  partnership
 development  divisions  shall oversee such sole-source concession agree-
 ments.
   (d)  The franchise concession review committee shall grant approval of
 any sole-source concession agreement.
   3. Insurance. Any sole-source concessionaire which receives an  agree-
 ment with the city shall hold insurance and shall indemnify the city.
   4.  Definitions.  For  the  purposes  of this act, the following terms
 shall have the following meanings:
   1. "Sole-source concession agreement" means: (a) a document issued  to
 organizations  which  offer free and fee-based programming including but
 not limited to museums, nature centers,  recreational,  educational  and
 environmental  programs, urban agriculture initiatives, markets, special
 events, weddings, restaurants/snack bar/wine;
   (b) a system which  combines  features  of  a  not-for-profit  license
 agreement with a concession agreement; and
   (c) a system which is not a competitive process, however, not-for-pro-
 fit  organizations  and  the  department  of  parks and recreation shall
 justify to the franchise and concession review committee (FCRC) why such
 services of such not-for-profit organization are so unique and  valuable
 to  the  department  of  parks and recreation that a different selection
 procedure may be used.
   2. "City" means the city of New York.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S7870

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Cities 1 Committee

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S7870

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Sponsored By

Leroy Comrie

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Cities 1 Committee

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7870 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments